By DONN ADAMSON\Daily Journal Sports Editor

Published: Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 10:49 AM CST

HARRISBURG, ILL - The Mineral Area Cardinals had reason to celebrate early on Tuesday as the rankings came out for Division 1 JUCO and the Cardinals had been elevated from 19th all the way to seventh in the nation. The ranking did not last long.

The Cardinals played at Southeast Illinois against the 5-1 Falcons and after making a tremendous comeback, MAC fell 86-79. Even though their ranking will last until next week's poll, the loss will most likely drop the Cardinals a few notches, being this early in the season.

The Cardinals, 7-0, played even basketball with SE Illinois early in the first half, but the Falcons found a tailwind and jumped out to a double-digit lead halfway through the frame. The Falcons were able to score inside quite regularly, while MAC was clunking them off of the rim.

The Cardinals three-point shooting, which they are well-known for, was absent in the first half. A 13-point performance at the line kept the Cardinals within reach of the Falcons as the home team held a 42-33 advantage at the half.

Life did not get any better in the beginning of the second half as the Falcons edged further out of reach until they held an 18-point lead midway through the final frame, but it wasn't far enough.

The Cardinals were still down by 15 with 1:30 left in the game when Rickey Claitt and Willie Hassell adjusted their sights from beyond the arc and they lit things up to the amazement of all those present in the fieldhouse. The ‘Reign of Threes' was on.

Claitt pumped in a three and was fouled on the shot to turn it into a four-point play. Claitt hit two more threes on the following trips down the floor, and when he stopped to take a breather, Hassell picked up the slack and made one of his own.

SE Illinois's lead began to evaporate quickly after failing to convert on the reciprocal free throws that they were granted on their possessions. Hassell's second three made it a one-point game. Mineral Area immediately called tme with just 23 seconds left.

After the MAC time-out, a foul by Barry Wellington was interpreted as intentional by the refs which resulted in four straight free throws to put the game out of reach. The Falcons made 7-8 free throws in the final 23 seconds to climb back out of reach for the win.

The Cardinals will be back home on Friday to play in their Thanksgiving Tournament at 7 p.m. against Spoon River.

Mineral Area 33 46 - 79

SE Illinois 42 44 - 86

Scoring: MAC - Claitt 20, Fowler 13, Hassell 11, Stuckey 10, Henderson 8, Wellington 6, Roney 2, Eargle 2, Snow 2, Jones 2, Webb 1. SE ILL - Wilson 20, Stevens 19, Marion 14, Rivers 13, DeHaye 8, Gardner 4, Stewart 4, Francis 2, Oldham 2.